Separable fastener



SEPARABLE FASTENER Original Filed Dec. 21, 1929 mm. m d mm S n o e GPatented June 16, 1936 ABLE FASTENER Gideon Sundback, Meadville, Pa.,assignor to Hookless Fastener Company, Mcadville, Pa... a corporation ofPennsylvania Original application December 21, 1929, Serial No. 415,721.Divided and this application May It, 1934, Serial No. 725,414

4 Claims.

This invention relates to slide fasteners and particularly to lockingdevices on sliders for such fasteners, this application being a divisionof my Patent No. 1,967,137, issued July 17, 1934.

One of the objects of invention is to provide an improved and simplifiedconstruction of locking device for preventing unintended opening of theslide fastener.

Another object is to provide an improved arrangement of combined lockingand pull-attaching member for sliders.

More specifically it is an object to provide an improved locking membernormally held in looking engagement with the fastener elements andadapted to be automatically released by the slider actuating member orpull.

It is also an object to provide means for moving the locking member outof locking position, not only to permit opening the fastener, but alsowhen closing the fastener to prevent dragging of the locking memberalong the interlocking elements.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear more fullyduring the course of the following specification.

In the accompanying drawing I have shown for purposes of illustration,several embodiments which my invention may assume in practice. In thisdrawing:

Fig. l is a general plan view of a slide fastener embodying theinvention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of one form of slider embodying the invention,detached from the "fastener;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the slider on the line 33 ofFig. 2, with the locking member in released position;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 5-4 of Fig. 1, showing the sliderlocked; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view, corresponding to Fig. 3, of amodifiedstructure embodying the invention.

The fastener illustrated in Fig. 1 is of a well known type generallysimilar to the fastener disclosed in my Patent No. 1,219,881, March 20,1917. A fastener of this type usually comprises a pair of stringers l5and it having corded edges H to which are attached, in spaced relation,the

fastener elements Hi. The fastener elements are alike on both stringersand are arranged in staggered relation so as to come together andinterlock properly. The engagement and disengagement of the fastenerelements are controlled by the movement of a slider l9 which embodies abody portion having substantially parallel spaced wings and 2| joined byan integral wedging and spacing portion 22. It will be noted that theslider is wider at its rear end than at its front end to provide asubstantially Y-shaped channel through which the fastener stringers passduring travel of the slider.

In the embodiment disclosed in Figs. 1 to 4 of the drawing, a combinedpull attaching and looking member 2d is attached at one end to theslider by means of laterally projecting pivot bearings 25 engaging undera pair of ears 26 which are cut out of the top wing of the slider andbent upwardly to the desired shape. The other end of the locking memberis formed into a locking point 21, which engages with a fastener elementin one of the rows, as shown in Fig. 4, to prevent opening of thefastener. If desired a second locking point may be formed on the lockingmember to engage a corresponding fastener element in the other row. Thelocking member includes a portion 28 which extends substantiallyparallel to the slider and inclined cam portions 29 and 30. The frontend of the member carrying the point 21 is movable relative to theslider and is normally held t in locking engagement with the fastenerelements, as shown in Fig. 4, by the weight of the locking memberitself. The portion 28 is offset from the line joining the pivots 25 andthe looking point 21 so that the weight of the locking member causes thelocking point to drop into locking position even when the slider isupright. The locking point 21 projects through an opening 3! havinginclined walls which function both as a positive stop to limit upwardmovement, and as a shield for the locking point. A combined pull orslider actuating member and lock controlling device 33 is separate fromand movably connected to the slider solely by means of the lockingmember 24. The pull 33 has a portion 38 disposed between the lockingmember and the slider body and this portion engages the cam portions 29and of the locking member when the pull is moved to the end of itstravel, thereby lifting the looking point 21 out of engagement with thefastener elements. Thus when it is desired to open the fastener, theslider actuating member is pulled in a direction tending to open thefastener and the force exerted on the cam portion 29 lifts the lockingpoint out of locking engagement and permits the fastener to be opened.When it is desired to close the fastener, the slider actuating member ispulled in a direction tending to close the fastener, as shown by thedotted lines in Fig.

3, and the force of the pull acting on the cam portion 80 lifts thelocking point out of engagement and prevents its dragging along thefastener elements as the fastener is being closed.

In assembling the locking member with the slider, it may be bent in itsmiddle portion so that the bearings and the locking point will go intotheir respective positions and then the locking member may bestraightened out to hold it in place.

In Fig. 5, the slider is cut out at the rear end to provide a recess 43for receiving the portion 45 of the combined pull-attaching and lockingmember 44 which is pivotally connected to the slider by a pin 46. Theportion 45 is extended below the pin to provide a camming portion 41which is normally in engagement with a spring 48 pennanently anchored inthe body of the slider. The spring 48 bears against the cam portion 41and acts to hold the locking member 44 normally in engagement with thefastener elements. The construction and operation of this modificationare otherwise generally the same as in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive.

As a result of my invention, it will be observed that an improvedlocking slider has been invented which is comparatively cheap tomanufacture and possesses the desirable characteristics of strength andsimplicity.

While I have in this application specifically shown and describedseveral embodiments which my invention may assume in practice, it willbe understood that these embodiments are merely for the purposes ofillustration and description and that various other forms may be devisedwithin the scope of my invention as defined in the following claims. I

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A slider for. slide fasteners of the type having rows of interlockingelements, comprising in combination, a slider body. having a' channelthrough which the interlocking elements pass, a locking member havingmeans to prevent relative movement between said slider body andinterlocking elements when said locking member is in locked position,means connecting said locking member and slider body to permit freerelative movement of said locking member inwardly to locked position oroutwardly to unlocked position, means for limiting outward movement ofsaid locking member, and a pull member connected to the locking memberfor moving the locking member automatically outwardly to unlockedposition, when a force is applied to operate the slider along theelements, said locking member being freely movable solely by the forceof gravity to locked position when no force is being applied to saidpull member.

2. A slider for slide fasteners 01' the type having rows of interlockingelements comprising in combination a. slider body having a channelthrough which the interlocking elements pass, a locking member havingmeans adapted to enter through an opening in the slider body into saidslider channel for locking the slider when in its inner position, meansconnecting said locking member to said slider body permitting freeinward movement to locked position solely under the influence ofgravity, and a pull member connected to said locking member for movingit outwardly to unlocked position when a force is applied to operate theslider along the elements.

3. A slider for slide fasteners of the type having rows of interlockingelements comprising in combination, a slider body having a channelthrough which the interlocking elements pass, a locking member, meanspivotally connecting said locking member to said slider body, a lockingprong on said locking member spaced from the pivot, and a pull memberconnected to the looking member on the same side of the pivot axis assaid locking prong for moving the locking member automatically tounlocked position when a force is applied to operate the slider alongthe elements, said locking member being freely movable solely by theforce of gravity to locked position when no force is being applied tosaid pull member.

4. A slider for slide fasteners of the type having rows of interlockingelements, comprising in combination a slider body having a channelthrough which the interlocking members pass, said slider body having anopening at one end communicating with said channel, a locking member,means pivotally connecting said locking member to said slider bodyadjacent the end opposite said opening, said locking member having aprong adapted to extend through said opening and engage the interlockingelements for locking the slider, a pull member connected to said lockingmember on the same side of the pivot as said prong, said slider 4 bodyhaving means adjacent said opening for positively limiting outwardswinging movement of said locking member, said locking member beingmovable to its outer unlocked position automatically by a force appliedto said pull member to operate the slider along the elements, saidlocking member being freely movable solely by the force of gravity tolocked position when no force is being applied to said pull member.

GIDEON SUNDBACK.

